Elastic-fluid turbine.



G. FORNER.

ELASTIC FLUID TURBINE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15. 1915 1.160 704. Patented Yov. 16, 1915.

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"EORG FORNER, 0F BERLIN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR T0 GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY,

A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ELASTIC-FLUID TURBINE.

Application filed June 15,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnone Foinvnn, a subject of the King of Prussia, residing at Berlin, Germany, have invented certain new and useful. Improvements in Elastic-Fluid Turbines, of which the following is a speciiication.

The present invention relates to elastic fluid turbines from which elastic fluid is extracted from an intermediate stage for in dustrial purposes. been found by tests and experiment that the efliciency is improved if the machine is operated at times when the load is light and the amount of fluid being extracted small, as

a purely condensing turbine, live elastic fluid being supplied directly to the extraction conduit.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved regulating mechanism which operates to change the machine over from extraction operation to purely con- (lensing operation and at the same time admits elastic fluid directly to the extraction conduit whenever the condition of operation occurs as set forth above.

F or a consideration of what I believe to be novel and my invention, attention is directed to the accompanying specification and the claims appended thereto.

The drawing illustrates one form which my invention may take.

Referring to the drawing, 3 indicates an elastic fluid turbine which is supplied with operating fluid by pipe 4L- and exhausts tlll'OUQ'll conduit 5 to a suitable condenser, (not shown).

(3 indicates a valve for regulating the supply of elastic fluid to the turbine. It may be considered as indicative of any suitable regulating mechanism, either hand operated or automatic.

7 indicates a conduit leading to any point low pressure elastic fluid and 8 a regulating valve there in. It is adapted to receive fluid xtracted from the intermediate stage 5? of ti turbine through the extraction conduit 10 or to receive live fluid direct through the pipe'll, which leads from pipe 4.. The flow of fluid from the extraction conduit 10 and from pipe 11 to the conduit 7 is controlled by valves 12 and 13 respectively. These valves are preferably arranged to be operated simultaneously and in the opposite sense, and

Specification of Letters Patent.

In such machines it has Patented Nov. 16, 19115. 1915. Serial No. 3 1,198.

to this end are shown in the present instance as being fixed to a common operating stem l l. When valve 13 is closed, valve 12 is open and vice versa. The stem ll is connected to the piston 15 of a fluid motor 16 and has an extension 17 connected to one end of the lever 18. The other end of lever 18 is pivoted at 19 to a fixed support. The pilot valve 20 of the fluid motor 16 has it stem 21 connected at an intermediate point to a floating lever 22. To one end of this floating lever is connected a suitable speed governor 23 and to the other end is connected a stem 24, which is carried by the piston 25"of a pressure responsive device. The piston 25. moves in the cylinder 26 and is exposed on one side to the pressure of the condenser by way of pipe 27 and opening 28, and to the pressure of spring 29, and on the other side to the pressure beyond the overflow valve 30. It will be understood that this overflow valve operates in the usual manner, its stem 31 being connected to the piston 32 moving in cylinder and subject ed to the stage pressure. In the cylinder is a second piston l-l with its stem 35 connected to lever 18, and between the pistons 32 and 34 is a spring 36. The pressure in the space between pistons 32 and 31 is condenser pressure since such space is connected with pipe 27.

with a substantial load on the turbine the valve 13 in pipe 11 will be closed and valve 12 in extraction conduit 10 open. Theoverflow valve 30 will be open to a greater or less extent depending on the distribution of lastic fluid between the extraction conduit and the low pressure end of the turbine. If now the requirement for industrial purposes becomes very great, point will be reached where the overflow valve will be entirely closed. 01' on the other hand, should the load on the turbine become less while the amount of fluid being extracted is of substantial value the erflow valve will be entirely closed. This operation is well understood in connection with the overflow valve mechanism of an extraction machine. When the overflow valve is closed, of course, the pressure beyond the overflow valve will hecome substantially the same as condenser pressure, so that the pressure on opposite sides of the piston 25 becomes equalized. This permits the spring 29 to force the his ton downwardwhich is in a direction to move the pilot valve so as to admit fluid under the piston 15 of the fluid motor and thus to close valve 13 and open valve 12 as shown in the drawing. Should the demand for fluid for industrial purposes new fall elf the pressure in the extraction stage 9 will build up and the overflow valve 30 will be opened. lhe lower side of piston 25 will then be subjected to this stage pressure and will move upward lifting the valves of the pilot valve 20. This, as will be readily seen, will admit operating fluid to the upper side of piston 15, causing a reversal of the positions of valves 13 and 12, the valve 13 being opened and the valve 152 closed. Live fluid will then be admitted directly to the conduit '7 by pipe 11, and since the extraction conduit is closed ofi' the turbine will operate purely as a condensing machine. This is the condition of operation which gives the highest efficiency when the load is light and the amount of fluid required 't'orvindustrial purposes is also light. It will be understood that the valves 12 and 13 have but two positions, the open and the closed, and that they do not assume intermediate positions.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, 1 have described the principle of operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof; but

I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative, and that the invention can be carried out by other means.

What I claim newand desire to secure by Letters iatent of the United States, is,-

1. The combination of an elastic fluid turbine, an extraction conduit connected to an intermediate sta tl'iereoi', a valve in said conduit, a pipe connected to said conduit at a point beyond said valve as regards the direction of flow for supplying high pressure elastic fluid thereto, a valve in said pipe, means for simultaneously moving said valves in the opposite sense to open one and close the other, and regulating mechanism which responds to a condition of light load on the turbine and limited extraction for control r said valves when the load on the turbineis light and the amount of elastic fluid being extracted is small.

3. The combination of an elastic lluid turbine having an overflow valve, a conduit for conveying elastic fluid to a point of con-- sumption, means for supplying low pressure elastic fluid from an intermediate stage of the turbine or live elastic fluid to said conduit, a valve mechanism ctmlrolliug said means, a lluid motor for the valve mechanism, a pilot valve for the motor, a floating lever connected at an intermediate point to the stem oi the pilot valve, :1 speed governor connected to one end of said lever, and a movable abutment connected to the other, said movable abutment being subjcctml on one side to a constant pressure and on the other side to the pressure beyond the overflow valve.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 10th day of lilay, 1915.

GEORG FORNER. 

